Usher is heading to Las Vegas. Not to gamble and enjoy some of the fine dining — although he may do that as well — he’ll be there for his own residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, which kicks off Friday, July 16, 2021.
The R&B star and actor, who’s been entertaining people for almost 30 years now, says having a residency gives him the chance to show his many talents in one setting while giving fans a truly immersive experience.
“This is a real treat because it’s the first time I’ve ever done anything quite like this,” Usher told Billboard. “You have benchmarks, right? You want to have your record played on the radio and then go on to win a Grammy. Vegas was always a benchmark for me that I couldn’t wait to be able to do.”
“I can pull from all of the things that I’ve done, a little bit of acting, a little bit of personality, a little bit of music, dance,” he added. “I can be more intimate than I’ve ever been with my audience, allowing people to come in and feel a different level of connection to the songs. Las Vegas is all about really shining it up.”
Usher announced the Vegas residency on Instagram, Friday, Sept. 4, and told his followers when tickets will be available.
“Tickets go on sale Thursday 9/10 at 10 AM PT, but you can get yours starting Monday if you text me at (404) 737-1821,” he wrote. “I’ll hit you back with the presale code this weekend.”
Before people like Chris Brown and Trey Songz broke onto the scene, Usher achieved massive success in the ultra-competitive R&B space. But unlike many others, he was able to gain plenty of traction in the pop world and didn’t seem to lose much of his original R&B fanbase along the way.
Usher’s self-titled debut came in 1994, and his last LP was 2016’s “Hard II Love.” Earlier this year, he released the Ella Mai-assisted “Don’t Waste My Time,” as well as “I Cry,” a song inspired by Black Lives Matter and protests for racial justice.
But Usher says even though fans have heard much of his material before, the residency will allow them to experience songs in a brand new way.
“If you want to just hear the songs, you can play them. But to take people deeper into the songs and give them a viewpoint they didn’t have, or maybe they might have overlooked and missed, that’s what my focus is,” he explained. “I really want to bring you through the experience of what the music means.”
“I’ve done a lot of research around immersive experiences all around the world,” Usher continued. “I traveled to Paris, London, Germany, and New York City, the South, and also Los Angeles to really understand the nuances of immersive experiences.”
Others who’ve had residencies at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace include Mariah Carey, which was called “#1 to Infinity” and it ran from 2015-2017.
